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Spain’s virus toll rises by 674 but pace keeps slowing

Agencies | Apr 6, 2020, 08:23 IST

Medical staff from La Princesa hospital react as neighbours applaud from their balconies in support for health...Read More

The rate of new coronavirus infections and deaths in Spain slowed for the third consecutive day on Sunday while Italy recorded its lowest daily death toll from the novel virus in over two weeks and saw the number of critical care patients decline for the second day. In Spain, deaths from Covid-19 rose to 12,418 on Saturday — the second highest worldwide after Italy. The toll of 674 people who died during the past 24 hours was down from Saturday’s 809 and below Thursday’s daily record of 950, Spain’s health ministry said. Sunday’s rise represented a 6% increase in total deaths, about half the rate reported a week ago. The total number of registered infections rose to 130,759 from Saturday’s 124,736. “The data confirms the slowing down of infections,” health minister Salvador Illa told reporters. “The data confirms that confinement is working.” PM Pedro Sanchez on Saturday announced an extension of the state of emergency lockdown until April 26 to help tackle the outbreak. Italy reported its lowest daily Covid-19 death toll for more than two weeks on Sunday as authorities began to look ahead to a second phase of the battle against the virus once the lockdown imposed almost a month ago is eventually eased. The toll reached 15,887 on Sunday, almost a quarter of the global death total, but the rise of 525 from a day earlier was the smallest daily increase since March 19, while the number of patients in badly stretched intensive care units fell for a second day running. France on Sunday reported 357 deaths in hospitals in 24 hours, lower than the previous two days, bringing the country’s total death toll to 8,078. The tally included 5,889 patients who died in hospitals, and 2,189 people in old age homes and other medical facilities, the government said. Cases in UK rose to 48,406 on Sunday from 41,903 a day earlier. Total deaths were 4,943 versus 4,313, according to the department of health and social care, rising at a slower pace than those reported on Saturday. In Canada, the number of people killed by Covid-19 has jumped by over 20% to 258 in a day, officials said. The total number of those diagnosed with Covid-19 had risen by almost 12% to 14,426, the public health agency said. The respective figures on Saturday were 214 deaths and 12,924 positive diagnoses.